His mother and grandmother quickly put a stop to it, and this may have convinced them that Claudius was not fit for public office, since he could not be trusted to toe the existing party line. In either case, it was far too early for such an account, and may have only served to remind Augustus that Claudius was Antony's descendant. According to Vincent Scramuzza and others, he began work on a history of the Civil Wars that was either too truthful or too critical of Octavian, then reigning as Caesar Augustus. Public life Ĭlaudius' work as a historian damaged his prospects for advancement in public life. Augustus, according to a letter, was surprised at the clarity of Claudius's oratory. He spent a lot of his time with the latter, as well as the philosopher Athenodorus. In AD 7, Livy was hired to tutor Claudius in history, with the assistance of Sulpicius Flavus. However, by the time he reached his teenage years, his symptoms apparently waned and his family began to take some notice of his scholarly interests. He was put under the care of a former mule-driver to keep him disciplined, under the logic that his condition was due to laziness and a lack of willpower. Livia was a little kinder, but nevertheless sent Claudius short, angry letters of reproof. She seems to have passed her son off to his grandmother Livia for a number of years. Antonia referred to him as a monster, and used him as a standard for stupidity. When his disability became evident, the relationship with his family turned sour. Claudius was then raised by his mother, who never remarried. In 9 BC, Claudius's father Drusus died on campaign in Germania from a fall from a horse. During his reign, Claudius revived the rumor that his father Nero Claudius Drusus was actually the illegitimate son of Augustus, to give the appearance that Augustus was Claudius's paternal grandfather. His paternal grandparents were Livia, Augustus's third wife, and Tiberius Claudius Nero. Claudius's maternal grandparents were Mark Antony and Octavia Minor, Augustus's sister, and he was therefore the great-great-grandnephew of Gaius Julius Caesar. His mother, Antonia Minor, may have had two other children who died young. He had two older siblings, Germanicus and Livilla. After his death at the age of 63, his grand-nephew and legally adopted step-son, Nero, succeeded him as emperor.įamily and youth Early life Ĭlaudius was born on 1 August 10 BC at Lugdunum (modern Lyon, France). Many authors contend that he was murdered by his own wife, Agrippina the Younger. Those events damaged his reputation among the ancient writers, though more recent historians have revised that opinion. Claudius was constantly forced to shore up his position, which resulted in the deaths of many senators. He was seen as vulnerable throughout his reign, particularly by elements of the nobility. Having a personal interest in law, he presided at public trials, and issued edicts daily. During his reign the Empire started its successful conquest of Britain. He was also an ambitious builder, constructing new roads, aqueducts, and canals across the Empire. He expanded the imperial bureaucracy to include freedmen, and helped restore the empire's finances after the excesses of Caligula's reign. His survival led to him being declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard after Caligula's assassination, at which point he was the last adult male of his family.ĭespite his lack of experience, Claudius was an able and efficient administrator.
Claudius's infirmity probably saved him from the fate of many other nobles during the purges throughout the reigns of Tiberius and Caligula, as potential enemies did not see him as a serious threat. Īs he had a limp and slight deafness due to sickness at a young age, he was ostracized by his family and was excluded from public office until his consulship (which was shared with his nephew, Caligula, in 37). Nonetheless, Claudius was an Italian of Sabine origins. He was the first Roman emperor to be born outside Italy. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Drusus and Antonia Minor at Lugdunum in Roman Gaul, where his father was stationed as a military legate. Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( / ˈ k l ɔː d i ə s/ Latin: 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54.
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